Son of Virgil Roy Stamps and Jean L. Crawford.
Stamps joined the US Army Air Corps in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1942. After training, he was deployed overseas with the 860th Bombardment Squadron (H), 493rd Bombardment Group (H), 8th Air Force, a B-17 "Flying Fortress" and B-24 "Liberator" heavy bomber group.
Stamps trained at McCook Army Airfield, Nebraska. He was deployed to the European Theater of Operations (ETO) as a tailgunner on a B-17, with his unit being assigned to VIII Bomber Command in England. The 860th was stationed at Royal Air Field (RAF) Debach, with a temporary move to RAF Wormingford in early 1945 while runways were being repaired at Debach. Combat aircraft included B-24Hs and B-24Js from June 6 to August 24, 1944, and B-17Gs from September 8, 1944 to April 20, 1945. His squadron was engaged in very long range strategic bombardment attacks on Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe, striking airfields, bridges, and gun batteries prior to and during the invasion of Normandy in June 1944; hitting enemy positions to assist ground forces south of Caen and at Saint-Lô in July 1944 and in bombing German fortifications to cover the airborne attack on Holland in September 1944.
On 9/30/1944 while on a group bombing mission Stamps' plane was struck by a bomb falling from another bomber. The bomb exploded causing his plane to explode as well and crash near Bielefeld, Germany. His plane was SN# 43-38115 and was named the "Reluctant Lassie". The Air Force accident report number for this incident is MACR 9429. All crew members died except for one who was captured by the Germans and held for the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war.
The crew of 43-38115 included:
1st LT Daniel R. Treece - pilot
2nd LT James G. Welsh - co-pilot
2nd LT Artemon P. Johnston - navigator
2nd LT Stanton Gage - bombardier
T/Sgt Ernest R Barton, Jr - engineer/gunner
T/Sgt Theodore F. Tourtellett - radio operator
Sgt Carroll E. Moss - ball turret gunner
S/Sgt Earice J. Spatarello - waist gunner
S/Sgt Carrol W. Stamps - tail gunner
Sadly, debris from Stamp's aircraft struck another B-17, SN# 43-38480 (no name on that aircraft) piloted by 2nd LT Edison W. LaFlame, causing it to crash as well. Eight crew members died in that crash with one surviving to become a prisoner of war. This crash was recorded on MACR 9430.
Stamps joined the US Army Air Corps in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1942. After training, he was deployed overseas with the 860th Bombardment Squadron (H), 493rd Bombardment Group (H), 8th Air Force, a B-17 "Flying Fortress" and B-24 "Liberator" heavy bomber group.
Stamps trained at McCook Army Airfield, Nebraska. He was deployed to the European Theater of Operations (ETO) as a tailgunner on a B-17, with his unit being assigned to VIII Bomber Command in England. The 860th was stationed at Royal Air Field (RAF) Debach, with a temporary move to RAF Wormingford in early 1945 while runways were being repaired at Debach. Combat aircraft included B-24Hs and B-24Js from June 6 to August 24, 1944, and B-17Gs from September 8, 1944 to April 20, 1945. His squadron was engaged in very long range strategic bombardment attacks on Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe, striking airfields, bridges, and gun batteries prior to and during the invasion of Normandy in June 1944; hitting enemy positions to assist ground forces south of Caen and at Saint-Lô in July 1944 and in bombing German fortifications to cover the airborne attack on Holland in September 1944.
On 9/30/1944 while on a group bombing mission Stamps' plane was struck by a bomb falling from another bomber. The bomb exploded causing his plane to explode as well and crash near Bielefeld, Germany. His plane was SN# 43-38115 and was named the "Reluctant Lassie". The Air Force accident report number for this incident is MACR 9429. All crew members died except for one who was captured by the Germans and held for the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war.
The crew of 43-38115 included:
1st LT Daniel R. Treece - pilot
2nd LT James G. Welsh - co-pilot
2nd LT Artemon P. Johnston - navigator
2nd LT Stanton Gage - bombardier
T/Sgt Ernest R Barton, Jr - engineer/gunner
T/Sgt Theodore F. Tourtellett - radio operator
Sgt Carroll E. Moss - ball turret gunner
S/Sgt Earice J. Spatarello - waist gunner
S/Sgt Carrol W. Stamps - tail gunner
Sadly, debris from Stamp's aircraft struck another B-17, SN# 43-38480 (no name on that aircraft) piloted by 2nd LT Edison W. LaFlame, causing it to crash as well. Eight crew members died in that crash with one surviving to become a prisoner of war. This crash was recorded on MACR 9430.
Son of Virgil Roy Stamps and Jean L. Crawford.
Stamps joined the US Army Air Corps in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1942. After training, he was deployed overseas with the 860th Bombardment Squadron (H), 493rd Bombardment Group (H), 8th Air Force, a B-17 "Flying Fortress" and B-24 "Liberator" heavy bomber group.
Stamps trained at McCook Army Airfield, Nebraska. He was deployed to the European Theater of Operations (ETO) as a tailgunner on a B-17, with his unit being assigned to VIII Bomber Command in England. The 860th was stationed at Royal Air Field (RAF) Debach, with a temporary move to RAF Wormingford in early 1945 while runways were being repaired at Debach. Combat aircraft included B-24Hs and B-24Js from June 6 to August 24, 1944, and B-17Gs from September 8, 1944 to April 20, 1945. His squadron was engaged in very long range strategic bombardment attacks on Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe, striking airfields, bridges, and gun batteries prior to and during the invasion of Normandy in June 1944; hitting enemy positions to assist ground forces south of Caen and at Saint-Lô in July 1944 and in bombing German fortifications to cover the airborne attack on Holland in September 1944.
On 9/30/1944 while on a group bombing mission Stamps' plane was struck by a bomb falling from another bomber. The bomb exploded causing his plane to explode as well and crash near Bielefeld, Germany. His plane was SN# 43-38115 and was named the "Reluctant Lassie". The Air Force accident report number for this incident is MACR 9429. All crew members died except for one who was captured by the Germans and held for the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war.
The crew of 43-38115 included:
1st LT Daniel R. Treece - pilot
2nd LT James G. Welsh - co-pilot
2nd LT Artemon P. Johnston - navigator
2nd LT Stanton Gage - bombardier
T/Sgt Ernest R Barton, Jr - engineer/gunner
T/Sgt Theodore F. Tourtellett - radio operator
Sgt Carroll E. Moss - ball turret gunner
S/Sgt Earice J. Spatarello - waist gunner
S/Sgt Carrol W. Stamps - tail gunner
Sadly, debris from Stamp's aircraft struck another B-17, SN# 43-38480 (no name on that aircraft) piloted by 2nd LT Edison W. LaFlame, causing it to crash as well. Eight crew members died in that crash with one surviving to become a prisoner of war. This crash was recorded on MACR 9430.
Stamps joined the US Army Air Corps in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1942. After training, he was deployed overseas with the 860th Bombardment Squadron (H), 493rd Bombardment Group (H), 8th Air Force, a B-17 "Flying Fortress" and B-24 "Liberator" heavy bomber group.
Stamps trained at McCook Army Airfield, Nebraska. He was deployed to the European Theater of Operations (ETO) as a tailgunner on a B-17, with his unit being assigned to VIII Bomber Command in England. The 860th was stationed at Royal Air Field (RAF) Debach, with a temporary move to RAF Wormingford in early 1945 while runways were being repaired at Debach. Combat aircraft included B-24Hs and B-24Js from June 6 to August 24, 1944, and B-17Gs from September 8, 1944 to April 20, 1945. His squadron was engaged in very long range strategic bombardment attacks on Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe, striking airfields, bridges, and gun batteries prior to and during the invasion of Normandy in June 1944; hitting enemy positions to assist ground forces south of Caen and at Saint-Lô in July 1944 and in bombing German fortifications to cover the airborne attack on Holland in September 1944.
On 9/30/1944 while on a group bombing mission Stamps' plane was struck by a bomb falling from another bomber. The bomb exploded causing his plane to explode as well and crash near Bielefeld, Germany. His plane was SN# 43-38115 and was named the "Reluctant Lassie". The Air Force accident report number for this incident is MACR 9429. All crew members died except for one who was captured by the Germans and held for the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war.
The crew of 43-38115 included:
1st LT Daniel R. Treece - pilot
2nd LT James G. Welsh - co-pilot
2nd LT Artemon P. Johnston - navigator
2nd LT Stanton Gage - bombardier
T/Sgt Ernest R Barton, Jr - engineer/gunner
T/Sgt Theodore F. Tourtellett - radio operator
Sgt Carroll E. Moss - ball turret gunner
S/Sgt Earice J. Spatarello - waist gunner
S/Sgt Carrol W. Stamps - tail gunner
Sadly, debris from Stamp's aircraft struck another B-17, SN# 43-38480 (no name on that aircraft) piloted by 2nd LT Edison W. LaFlame, causing it to crash as well. Eight crew members died in that crash with one surviving to become a prisoner of war. This crash was recorded on MACR 9430.
Other Records
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
